How does jealousy shape the plot of Pierre et Jean?

In the novel Pierre et Jean (1888), jealousy serves as the central catalyst for the narrative's tragic progression. The plot is driven by the protagonist's discovery that his brother, Jean, is the child of their mother’s past adultery.12

This revelation transforms Pierre’s perception of his family, fueling a destructive sense of jealousy that cripples his relationships and psychological stability. Rather than a simple domestic drama, the novel functions as a powerful exploration of how such intense, corrosive emotions can dismantle the facade of a middle-class family, exposing the underlying hypocrisy and dishonesty that Maupassant often identified as central forces in human life. The jealousy experienced by Pierre acts as a "crippling effect," ultimately leading to the disintegration of his familial bonds and his own tragic alienation.21